LUNAR 2025 – Where Art and Light Transform Sofia

What is LUNAR?

The lights tell stories – come and experience them!

For four nights, from May 8 to 11, 2025, Sofia will transform into a magical art stage that comes alive after sunset. The LUNAR Festival of Lights will reshape the city center with large-scale 3D mapping projections, interactive light installations, and contemporary artistic forms created by artists from around the world.

The event is not just a visual experience – it is a journey through stories, cultures, and emotions, told through light. With its innovative vision, LUNAR combines technology, art, and the urban environment to offer an entirely new perspective on familiar spaces.

The festival is completely free to attend and accessible to all ages. Every visitor will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in an atmosphere where urban architecture becomes a canvas and every street turns into an open-air gallery.

Over 10,000 square meters of light art will cover 14 key locations in Sofia, blending local identity with global artistic presence. The program includes both static and dynamic visual compositions, installations that respond to movement and sound, as well as pioneering projects inspired by science and the future.

LUNAR is part of the international Festival of Lights platform, with its Bulgarian edition organized by MP-STUDIO – a leading Bulgarian visual effects studio. The event is held with the support of the European Parliament in Bulgaria, the European Commission, Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism, and the National Culture Fund.

For detailed information about each of the video mapping shows, please visit the official LUNAR Festival of Lights website:https://lunarlights.eu/program25-en/

Make the most of your festival experience with special accommodation offers from hotels across Sofia. Whether you’re visiting from out of town or treating yourself to a city staycation, several hotels are offering packages tailored for guests attending LUNAR – Festival of Lights.

Check out the options below and find a convenient place to stay during the four nights of art, light, and celebration.

The city shines, traffic changes!

Be prepared for temporary changes in traffic and parking – see how to get around easily during the festival.

The following ground public transport lines will operate with more frequent schedules between 8:00 PM and 11:30 PM:

• Trolleybuses 1 and 9;
• Tram 22;
• Buses 94 and 204.

Metro trains will run at intervals between 7 and 15 minutes until 1:30 AM during the period of May 8–11.

Night bus lines will operate hourly between 12:00 AM and 4:00 AM, with an additional run at 12:30 AM.

Parking: During the four days of the festival, parking will be prohibited between 18:30 and 00:00 at the following locations:

• The parking lot at "Knyaz Alexander I" Square;
• The parking lot at the northern arc of "St. Alexander Nevsky" Square;
• On "Dunav" Street between "Moskovska" Street and "St. Alexander Nevsky" Square.

Traffic changes: During the four days of the festival, traffic will be prohibited between 20:30 and 00:00 on the following streets:

• “Tsar Osvoboditel" Blvd. between "Vasil Levski" Blvd. and "Nezavisimost" Square;
• "Tsar Ivan Shishman" Street between "Narodno Sabranie" Square and "Aksakov" Street;
• "Deacon Ignatius" Street between "Aksakov" Street and "Graf Ignatiev" Street;
• "Stefan Karadzha" Street between "Georgi S. Rakovski" Street and "Knyaz Alexander I" Street;
• "Knyaz Alexander I" Street between "Tsar Osvoboditel" Blvd. and "Gen. Gurko" Street;
• "Aksakov" Street between "Georgi Benkovski" Street and "Deacon Ignatius" Street;
• "Lege" Street;
• "Georgi Benkovski" Street between "Aksakov" Street and "Tsar Osvoboditel" Blvd.;
• "Oborishte" Street between "Vasil Levski" Blvd. and "11th August" Street;
• "15th November" Street;
• "11th August" Street between "Moskovska" Street and "St. Alexander Nevsky" Square;
• "Solunska" Street between "Angel Kanchev" Street and "Graf Ignatiev" Street;
• "Moskovska" Street between "11th August" Street and "Dunav" Street.

Every photo tells a story about the magic that envelops Sofia when the lights come to life. Relive the most memorable moments from previous editions of the festival and imagine what awaits you this year.

Don’t forget to share your best moments with us! #visitsofia #LUNARfestival #SofiaLights